Among people between the ages of 1-54 in the United States, motor vehicle accidents remain a leading cause of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the 23,714 drivers and passengers killed in automobile accidents in 2016, more than half were not buckled up. Seatbelts have been shown to reduce serious injuries and fatalities in serious accidents by about half. The best protection in an auto accident is both utilizing a seat belt and driving a vehicle equipped with an airbag. Despite these statistics, people still do not buckle up, costing lives. Fox News reports on an accident that claimed the lives of five children who were not wearing seatbelts.
A crash in Bowie, Maryland claimed the lives of five children. The crash happened on Saturday when a Chrysler Pacifica SUV they were riding in veered off of the roadway and into a wooded area, striking several trees.
All of the children were ejected from the vehicle. None were properly buckled up. Two adults in the vehicle were also injured in the accident, which happened at about 5 a.m. on Route 301.
The two adults were identified as 23-year-old Cornell Simon and 32-year-old Dominique Taylor. Taylor was driving the vehicle and Simon was a passenger. Authorities believe that Taylor may have suffered from a medical emergency prior to the crash. The children who died ranged in age from 5 years old to 15 years old.
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